Are you fed up of cooking large meals every night or dread the thought of ending up on a cringe-worthy first date?

Cornwall's older generation has provided insight into the things that their younger counterparts can look forward to leaving behind in later life.

Over-60s from across the county have been quizzed in a national research study aimed at "busting myths and negative perceptions" of growing older - and it's thrown up more than a few benefits.

The study was undertaken by retirement house-builder McCarthy and Stone, which has developments in areas including Bude, Falmouth, and Carlyon Bay.

Researchers polled 1,500 people aged 60 and over in Cornwall and discovered what they were happy to have seen the back of, including ironing school uniforms on a Sunday night, waiting for pay day and hosting the family Christmas.

Awkward first dates and struggles getting on the property ladder have also been flagged up by those questioned. The feedback further suggests that older generations tend to care less about their weight, how they look and worry less about what other people think.

Things seem a lot sunnier in general in later life too, with more than 85 per cent of those polled in Cornwall stating that they were "happier now than they have ever been".

There's good news for romance, with more than half stating that their relationship with their spouse was at its best in later life, 55 per cent saying this was largely due to not having the stress of work and running a family home.

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Throwing regrets out the window, more than 70 per cent of those polled said they were happy with what they had achieved in life, with marriage, children, owning a home and travelling the world among the biggest accomplishments.

Simon Mantell, from McCarthy and Stone, said: “We are all looking forward to the day we don’t have to endure the commute to the office and deal with the stresses that our jobs place on us.

“But it is interesting to see the stress of running a family home and the struggle to get on the property ladder also both made the list of things older people in Cornwall don't miss about being young. For many, getting older means downsizing and that’s a welcome move.”

Revising for and sitting exams was listed as one of the things that over 60s in Cornwall don't miss about being young (Image: Jacob Ammentorp Lund)

Of those polled, almost 40 per cent have already downsized, with double that figure claiming it has made life much easier.

The poll found that nationally, 67 was the perfect age to downsize, but of those who haven’t, four in ten said they can’t face the upheaval of a move. And 15 per cent said their current property had many emotional ties.